Rally Mexico: Mikkelsen: I won't hide behind anyone in Mexico

Andreas Mikkelsen says he is matching team-mates Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala which fills him with confidence ahead of Rally Mexico

Andreas Mikkelsen says he 'will not be hiding behind anyone in Mexico' and feels he has matched his team-mates like-for-like after the first two rounds of the 2015 World Rally Championship.

The Volkswagen Motorsport II driver is third in the drivers standings', level on points with second-place man Thierry Neuville, after notching up two third place finishes. The Norwegian had been battling championship leader Sebastien Ogier for his maiden WRC victory but Mikkelsen spun his Polo R WRC on the final stage, eventually dropping behind Neuville.

Despite feeling 'very bitter' post-Sweden the Volkswagen driver says the mistake is behind him and is fully focused on Rally Mexico.

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"At the moment, a lot of people are talking about how I missed out on victory at the Rally Sweden," Mikkelsen said. "To be honest, though, I moved on from that a long time ago. It was unquestionably very disappointing for me, as I came within touching distance of my maiden WRC win.

"However, I prefer to take the positives out of it and now travel to Mexico full of confidence. I am matching Seb and Jari-Matti for pace at the moment. That is important for me, and I will not be hiding behind anyone in Mexico."

Mikkelsen also sees starting lower down the order as a distinct advantage ahead of the third round of the 2015 WRC season. Mexico marks the first round of six consecutive gravel rallies and starting later is seen as a benefit as the cars before him will remove any debris on the loose-surface. They will also carve a flatter and therefore faster path for the cars behind to follow in a road-sweeping effect.

"My third place in Sweden has had a pleasant knock-on effect: I start as the third car onto the route at the Rally Mexico, so will not have to do so much road sweeping."

Rally Mexico will seriously test both driver and car as the race begins 1,700 metres above sea level before rising to a peak of 2,800 metres. In context, the highest European rally peak is just over 1,600 metres at Rally Monte Carlo.

The high altitude means much thinner air, giving the WRC cars less power. In effect, any small mistake which causes a team to slow down will be harder to recover from compared to any other rally.

Mikkelsen has only competed in one previous Rally Mexico, when he finished 19th in 2014. The Mexican rally runs between the 5-8 March and is the third round of the World Rally Championship.